Have you looked at the Lonely Planet website? (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/spain/barcelona) It can help with places to eat and stay.

I have been to Barcelona and stayed in a super hotel on the seafront. They have some great, ultra modern hotels that are worth having a drink in if you are unable to get a room. Trouble is, I can't remember the names of any of them! Hope the website helps.

I enjoyed staying right off Las Ramblas -- always felt safe, close to all kinds of transportation and interesting neighborhoods and Las Ramblas had a fun street scene day and night. Near La Boqueria (food market nirvana). I stayed at the Merdien, which might be a bit more than you are looking for, but there were other non-brand name hotels in the area which looked to be a little kinder on the wallet when is I was there about 5-6 years ago.

Tragaluz:
Passatge de la Concepció 5
Metro: Diagonal
This is one of the best restaurants in Barcelona - expensive by Spanish standards - 50 Euro tasting menu

Directly across the road is its sister restaurant, trendy Japanese food, great if you want something different for lunch - this is much cheaper than the formal Tragaluz restaurant.

No trip to Barcelona is complete without a visit to the gorgeous Cacoa Sampaka, a chocolate shop and a cafe (with the best hot chocolate ever!). Try the Aztec version, liquid chocolate and spice.
There are two in branches:
1) C/ Consell de Cent, 292
2) C/ Ferran, 43 - 45
there are maps on the website
http://cacoasampaka.com